Overview

• Implementing guidance posted Sept. 30 directs a return to pre-2010 facial-hair standards and says beard waivers are generally not authorized.
• Religious requests will be vetted under military religious-liberty rules with approvals limited to non-deployable roles at low chemical or firefighting risk.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth underscored the shift in a Quantico speech, declaring “No more beardos” and signaling skepticism of broad waivers.
• Civil-rights and faith groups, including the Sikh Coalition, voiced alarm over potential violations of religious freedom and unequal impacts.
• Services report uneven tracking: the Marine Corps says 50 of 101 beard accommodation requests were granted since 2020, while the Navy lists 53 religious accommodations approved in FY2025.